The present invention relates generally to cribs or beds having side rails that can be raised and lowered. In particular, the invention relates to a crib or bed that allows full and unimpeded access to a patient on a bed surface when the side rails are in the lowermost position, and it relates to a positioning mechanism for positioning the side rails of the bed or crib.
Cribs and beds for infants or small children, which have side rails to prevent the occupant from inadvertently falling to the floor are well known. In addition, cribs or beds with moveable side rails to facilitate placing a child in the crib, removing a child from the crib, or attending to a child that is already in the crib, are also well known.
Conventionally, cribs or beds having side rails that are moveable between upper and lower positions are known to include support means to guide the moveable side rails between the upper and lower positions. One example of this type of crib has a fixed board or side rail at the head end of the crib, and a fixed board or side rail at the foot end of the crib. The fixed side rails at the ends of the crib serve as supports and guides for the moveable side rails at either side of the crib.
Another example of a type of conventional crib which includes side rails capable of moving between an upper position and a lower position is shown in FIG. 9. Instead of a fixed side rail to serve as a support and guide, this type of crib utilizes several fixed side rail support beams 100 to support and guide the moveable side rails 103 as they move between upper and lower positions relative to a bed surface 102. Each of the support beams 100 may have a track or groove in each of its sides in which the moveable side rails 103 can slide.
One major disadvantage of the conventional cribs described above is that these cribs severely limit accessibility to the child. Although the crib shown in FIG. 9 may provide more access to a child than a crib having fixed side rails or boards at the ends of the crib, the side rail support beams 100 still limit access to the child by providing an impediment to someone attending to the child. This limited access is magnified in an emergency situation when attending physicians and nurses must have instantaneous access to the child from all areas surrounding the crib, and must be able to move around the crib quickly and easily while still attending to the child. In that emergency situation, the side rail support beams 100 create impediments which cause attending physicians and nurses to waste precious moments navigating around the impediments. In addition, in that emergency situation, an attending physician or nurse should be able to raise or lower one of the side rails and place the side rail into a proper position with a single hand so that their other hand is free to perform other tasks.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved bed or crib: which provides safety and restraint for a child in the crib; which has side rails capable of being easily moved between uppermost and lowermost positions; which includes safety features to prevent the accidental lowering of the side rails; and which provides full and unimpeded access to a child on a bed surface of the crib. In addition, there is a need for an improved positioning mechanism which enables a side rail of a crib or bed to be quickly and accurately positioned with one hand, and which does not create an impediment preventing access to a child on the bed surface of the crib.
One object of thee present invention is to provide a crib apparatus which fulfills all of the needs discussed above. The crib apparatus of the present invention comprises a frame, a bed surface supported by the frame, and at least one side rail for enclosing the bed surface and which is connected to the frame along the periphery of the bed surface so that it is moveable. A side rail positioning mechanism is provided at each of the side rails for positioning that side rail. Each of the positioning mechanisms allows its respective side rail to be positioned in an uppermost position so that the top portion of the side rail is above (with respect to a vertical direction) the bed surface. Each of the positioning mechanisms also allows its side rail to be positioned in a lowermost position so that the top portion of the side rail is substantially at or below the bed surface. When the side rails are in the lowermost position, a geometric plane that includes the bed surface is free of impediments thereby allowing unimpeded access to a patient on the bed surface by an attendant.
It is to be understood that some portions of the apparatus, such as handles or frame members, may extend slightly higher than a plane in which the bed surface lies when the side rails are in the lowermost position and still provide unimpeded access to a patient. In addition, the top portions of the side rails may extend slightly higher than the bed surface and still be substantially at the bed surface. For example, when the side rails are in the lowermost position, the top portions may extend above the bed surface a distance equal to or less than the front-to-back thickness of a typical child so as to be substantially at the bed surface without impeding access to the child.
The present invention may include a plural number of side rails which together enclose the bed surface. In that case, the positioning mechanism for each side rail can position that respective side rail independent of the position of any of the other side rails. Consequently, one side and one end may be in the lowermost position while the remaining side and the remaining end may be in the uppermost position. Alternatively, the present invention can comprise a single side rail that encloses the bed surface and is moveable between an uppermost position and a lowermost position.
Each of the side rails may be connected to the frame by bearing blocks. Therefore, each of the side rails is capable of sliding in the bearing blocks between the uppermost position and the lowermost position. In addition, each of the positioning mechanisms can be used to position its side rail in at least one intermediate position between the uppermost position and the lowermost position.
In addition to providing a crib apparatus that allows full and unimpeded access to a patient on the bed surface, another object of the invention is to provide a positioning mechanism capable of allowing the side rails of a crib to be moved and positioned without using structural supports or guides that extend above the bed surface. The positioning mechanism of the present invention comprises a handle component mounted to a side rail, and a vertical lock spindle which is rotatably attached to the same side rail and has several lock pins spaced vertically along its length. The positioning mechanism also includes a locking component for receiving the vertical lock spindle, and which is fixed to the frame. The handle component is connected to the lock spindle so that when actuated, the handle rotates the lock spindle enabling one of the lock pins to be released from the locking component.
It is important that the positioning mechanism for the side rail of a crib have a safety feature that prevents the accidental lowering of the side rail. The positioning mechanism of the present invention has this type of safety feature. The locking component includes a through-hole for receiving the lock spindle, and includes a pair of vertical grooves extending along the length of the through-hole (in a longitudinal direction of the through-hole). A catch is pivotally mounted within one of the grooves halfway through the length of the through-hole (at a longitudinal midpoint of the through-hole). The side rail can be positioned by being raised so that one of the lock pins passes through the locking component as the catch pivots upwards, and then slightly lowered so that the lock pin comes to rest on the catch within the groove since the catch cannot pivot downward from its normal, or resting, position. In order to lower the side rails, the handle component must be actuated to rotate the lock spindle and the lock pin so that the lock pin can be aligned with the other groove (the groove without the catch). In addition, the side rail must be slightly raised in order to lift the lock pin off of the catch and out of the groove. These two actionsxe2x80x94actuating the handle component and lifting the side railxe2x80x94are necessary to lower the side rail, and comprise the safety feature of the present invention which prevents the accidental lowering of the side rail.
As can be seen from the brief summary provided above, the present invention provides an improved crib apparatus which allows full and unimpeded access to a patient on the bed surface, while also providing a safety feature to prevent the accidental lowering of the side rails. In addition, the positioning mechanism for the crib apparatus of the present invention allows one handed raising and lowering of the side rail, which is very important if an attending physician or nurse must quickly raise or lower the side rail while accomplishing at least one other task simultaneously.